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Two seasons ago, Josh Uche and Chase Winovich led Michigan football in sacks.

Now, the two pass-rushers have been reunited in the NFL.

The New England Patriots traded up to take Uche in the second round with the No. 60 overall pick in the NFL draft on Friday night, one year after drafting Winovich in the third round.

In Uche, the Patriots are getting a player who rose throughout the pre-draft process because of his athleticism and pass-rushing ability. Uche led the Wolverines with 7.0 sacks in 2018 and 8.5 sacks as a redshirt junior in 2019. He was regarded as one of the most efficient pass-rushers in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus.

New England wanted Uche badly enough that it sent the Nos. 71 and 98 picks to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Nos. 60 and 129.

The Patriots will hope Uche and Winovich, who had 5.5 sacks as a rookie, can work in tandem to pressure opposing quarterbacks just like they did at Michigan.

“That was my boy when he was at Michigan," Uche said in a conference call. "Before every game, I remember we’d talk about what techniques we were going to use to beat the tackles that week. We’d just go over the motions in practice — ‘Okay, this move is going to work on this guy, I feel like this guy struggles with this move.’

"It's great to be able to have that chemistry back, possibly. He’s just a great guy. High motor, high effort guy."

For Uche, Friday's selection was somewhat unexpected. He said he never had a formal interview with the Patriots, instead briefly meeting with safeties coach Steve Belichick — the son of coach Bill Belichick — and talking to linebackers coach Jerod Mayo over a conference call.

“That was about it," Uche said. "I hadn’t heard anything from the Patriots for a minute. And then when I got the call, I just knew that was the perfect fit for me. I feel like the Patriots are going to maximize everything that I have to offer.

"They run the ship just like Coach Harbaugh does, probably better and everything like that because it’s the pros. It’s just a blessing. I knew they were interested, but I didn’t know it was going to happen like this.”

The big question regarding Uche is how he will be utilized. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound defender was used primarily as a pass-rusher. He played a situational role in 2018 before earning more snaps as the starting strong-side linebacker in 2019 — but that was still not an every-down role. Analysts wondered why he didn't play more for Michigan, and if he could be more than just a pass-rusher with limited tape of him playing coverage and off the ball.

In New England, Uche could be a natural replacement for linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who signed with the Miami Dolphins in free agency this offseason. Van Noy, originally a first-round selection of the Detroit Lions, was a versatile player with the Patriots.

The Patriots asked Van Noy to contribute in every phase of the game: He was a top pass-rusher who generated 58 pressures with a 12.9% pressure rate, according to PFF, while making 30 run stops and allowing just 86 receiving yards on 86 pass coverage snaps.

"I have the utmost confidence in myself," he said. "A lot of guys don’t know how complex Coach (Don) Brown’s defense is (at Michigan). There’s so many different depths to it and levels to it and a bunch of different plays. Different formations, you’ve got to do different things. I definitely feel prepared for what’s to come because Coach Brown is the best in this business. He makes sure his players get ready.”

Uche was definitive when asked if the Patriots were a good fit for him.

“I would say it’s a good fit for me because I’m a hard-ass worker, and the Patriots work their asses off," Uche said. "The Patriots are very unique, very diverse, very dynamic, they do a bunch of different things, and I feel like that’s who I am as a football player. I just feel like it’s definitely a perfect fit.”